HOW TO BEST GO AROUND THE WORLD

I promise to minimize, if not completely avoid again mentioning this week, that Trump hush money trial.  But just to finally summarize as to where this spectacle stands today:

• Robert Costello, the only meaningful defense witness, bombed.  He became an embarrassment.

• 
  All in all, the prosecution now seems to have an upper hand.
• The trial is recessed until a week from now, May 28, when both sides will make closing arguments.
• Mind you, I've never served on a jury or been in a trial.  Plus I never watched Perry Mason, and certainly not Judge Judy.  I also did not see 12 Angry Men, a 1957 film starring Henry Fonda about a murder trial.  Got 100/97 ratings from Rotten Tomatoes.  I checked, and it is on Amazon Prime.
• However, I've kept close tabs on the doings, and here is my best guess:
• Acquittal  1%
• Hung jury  30%
• Guilty of misdemeanors  40%
• Guilty of felonies  29%
• So what?
• If acquitted, Trump could well become your next president.
• If hung jury, depends on the vote.  
• If only 1 or 2 holding out for guilty, this will make Trump look bad, and there will be a  retrial.
• If the majority vote against guilty, this might be the end of this trial process.
• If guilty, Trump will appeal, and this process will take into next year.
• If guilty of only misdemeanors, Trump might well not lose much, even though he becomes a convicted candidate.
• If guilty of felonies, Trump will lose to Biden.
• There remains the Supreme Court and their decision or non decision on the immunity of Trump.  My guess is that sometime next month they will declare Trump is not immune, but ask Congress to look closely at this issue.
• Then, the Jack Smith January 6, 2011 attempted coup trial can proceed.  Possible for this happening before October.
• The Georgia election interference trial appears to be now delayed by Trumps MAGA supporters.
• If the Supreme Court does not announced anything until much later, there will be no coup trial in DC, and Trump will significantly benefit.
• If the Supreme Court rules that Trump is immune, this would not affect any hush money trial penalty, but that would help him on November 5.
• So who will win on November 5?  Who knows for sure today, for there still are third party interferences, what Nikki Haley and Liz Cheney do, and more.

Today is nostalgic Tuesday, so back to travel and to provide some hints on how to go about planning for a global trip.  I've been on more than a dozen around the world trips.  I'm still learning what to do and not.

• For example, best to choose the cruise hotel if that opportunity is provided.  Costs more, but:
• Sometimes they pick you up at the airport.
• They always pick you up at their hotel to take you to the ship, and sometimes drop you off from the ship to the airport or another hotel.
• This is important because the exact cruise departure terminal is occasionally a variable, but you then don't need to worry about that.
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  Should you use those airline partnership plans, such as the Star Alliance Round the World package?
• All my previous global journeys used Star Alliance.
• This latest one did not, and making adjustments to the flight schedule was very difficult.
• Star Alliance allows me to make changes in dates and times of departure.  Part of this flexibility is that I am a 2 million mile traveler with them.
• Not being on Star Alliance costs you a lot of money for adjustments to the itinerary.
• However, the total around the world cost was about the same for business class.
• Advantage of going independent was some different kind of flexibility.  For example we found that Emirates First Class was really terrific, with unlimited caviar and two showers on the plane.  
• We thus payed $3200 from Bangkok to Munich, where we got two legs with all that luxury.  
• Turned out, back to back, it was too much for a person to endure.
• A direct flight from Bangkok to Munich on Thai Air has no stops, and costs only $1400 in business class, but you need to fly overnight.
• No reason for us to go to Munich, so a Bangkok to Frankfurt Thai Air flight in business class costs $1381, leaving at 12:40PM and arriving at 7PM.  In the future, this would be a good way to directly get to Europe from Bangkok.
• One big advantage of my going the Star Alliance route is that as a 2-million miler, I  can have the equivalent of two 70-pound suitcases.  Other airlines generally have a 50 pound maximum.
• On our OMGA trip, some of the airlines allowed only a max of 50 pounds.
• I was 13 pounds overweight on one check-in, and the added cost was more than $100, except that we were able to move things around and got by without any extra cost.
• It was, though, a frantic mess at the check-in desk.
• When I'm on Star Alliance, I also have free access to the partner lounges.
• If not on Star Alliance, flying business class allows you to use that airline's lounge for free.

This around the world itinerary I called Our Monumental Global Adventure, or OMGA.  The next will be Our Memorably Extraordinary Global Adventure, or OMEGA, for that will be my final such trip.

• Will be by plane, ship and train.
• I love train rides.
• Earlier this year I posted:  WHAT ABOUT GOING (MOSTLY) AROUND THE WORLD ON TRAINS? COST?
• However, they all had to work in planes, and other modes, for there is no way of actually circumnavigating Earth only on trains.
• 
  Railbookers has a package that will take you, mostly on trains, from Vancouver to Singapore.
• 80 days, 13 countries and 20+ iconic cities.
• Would cost you from $113,599, plus a whole bunch of flights at your expense.

• 

  So clearly, trains can only be a portion of OMEGA.  As for example.
• Royal Scotsman to see Scotland.  They have a 5-day Scotch Malt Whisky Tour, featuring stops at Glenlivet, Tomatin  and Tullibardane.  But the cost is $10,000/person.
• Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express, which is mentioned because of the film, but not realistic because it is too expensive.  Istanbul to London in nine days?  This original 1883 route now costs $25,000/person.
• 
  The Eastern and Oriental Express connecting Singapore and Bangkok (and up to Chiang Mai), might make my list.  I did this in 2011.  The first stop from Bangkok was at the River Kwai.  As I glance at what I said, I'm easing off, for the train runs on a narrow track, and there is considerable wobbling, making it dangerous for old people.

• VIA Rail Canada is also one I've taken, in 2017, from Vancouver to Toronto.  Perhaps the next time, in reverse, as OMEGA will go west.

Anyway, trains will occupy a third or less of OMEGA.  The ideal cruise or two would be a must.

• Perhaps something will pop up from Honolulu west.
• I once went from Honolulu to Auckland on the Crystal Symphony.  This would be an ideal beginning for OMEGA.  However, nothing looks promising today.
• So it looks to begin with a flight to Tokyo.
• There are numerous cruises from Tokyo to Singapore or Bali or Sydney,
• Then another cruise that stops by Mauritius, South Africa and the Canary Islands.
• Perhaps a cruise from New York to San Francisco around South America.
• The airline part should be easy, and most probably without a link to something like Star Alliance.  Business class for sure.

So some advice about going around the world.

• Always go west.  Read this article about why.
• When you cruise, you get to sleep longer each night.
• When you fly, it will be during the day to enjoy the flight, getting into the next city before it gets dark.
• If you only fly around the world, consider one of the three major airline alliances:  SkyTeam, Oneworld and Star Alliance.
• I am wedded to Star Alliance, for I am a 2 million miler.  I can take two 70 pound suitcases.  There is always an airport lounge.
• If you are not a regular flyer with any airline, fly business class.

• 
  A decade ago there was adequate first class service.  
• My Ultimate Global Adventure went first class and took 51 days.
• The airline ticket alone cost around $22,000, but it was worth it.  Hotels and other expenses more than doubled that figure.
• The first flight was east to San Francisco.
• Then, first class overnight to Sydney, but I was forced to do that because Star Alliance could only get me to Sydney if I flew to San Francisco first.  I talked them into letting me stay overnight because of my age and membership level.  I wanted to drop off my golf bag, for I was meeting a group for a week of golf to Napa Valley.
• A summary and some final thoughts.
• Today, many airlines have abandoned first class, so go business class.

Time magazine had a thoughtful focus on Les Fleurs, a 1970 song by Minnie Ripperton.  I remembered her name, but none of her songs came to mind.  Looked her up and found some worthy info:

• Born in 1947 and died at the age of 31 from breast cancer.
• Had a five-octave vocal range.

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  Sang back-up for Etta James, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters.
• Had son Marc in 1968, and later married his father, music producer Richard Rudolph, in 1970.

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  Had a daughter Maya...who herself has become famous, first with Saturday Night Live.
• Recorded Les Fleurs in 1972.
• Reached the apex of her career in 1975 with Lovin' You.  Ah, I absolutely do remember this song, and loved it.  If you can find that version, at the end of this song, she says Maya, Maya, Maya, and later to Maya, Maya, Ringo, nickname for Marc.
• Was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976, and passed away three years later.

But about that Time article, there is a suggestion that Les Fleurs could become the hidden gem of this summer:

• In the movie Back to Black about Amy Winehouse, Minnie Riperton's Les Fleurs embodies the feeling of being in love.  This is one of those films rated terrible (35%) by Rotten Tomatoes reviewers, but nicely given 86% by the audiences.  Usually, I side with the viewers.
• 
  Mentioned is another film, The Idea of You, involving 40-year old Anne Hathaway in a fling with 24-year old boy band sensation (Nicholas Galitzine), where Les Fleurs flourishes Hathaway's joyous jaunt to his hotel for their first night together.
• Les Fleurs was not a commercial success for Ripperton.  Wonder how much more meaningful if both films had used Lovin' You?

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